Director Identification Number (DIN) – Non Resident

By Ershad Ullah November 11, 2021 | Tags: Tax & Accounting

Australia’s Director Identification Number (DIN) regime came into effect on 1 November 2021 and, as a director of an Australian company, will require you to register for an identification number.

A director ID is a 15 digit identifier that, once issued, will remain with you for life regardless of whether you stop being a director, change companies, or change your name.

The Director Identification Number (DIN) is managed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) but created through the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS).

Who needs a Director Identification Number?

All directors of a company registered Australian body, registered foreign company or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation will need a director ID. This includes directors of a corporate trustee of self-managed super funds (SMSF).

Timeframes for registration

For Corporation Act directors:

Date you become a director	Date you must apply
On or before 31 October 2021	By 30 November 2022
Between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022	Within 28 days of appointment
From 5 April 2022	Before appointment

For Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act directors:

Date you become a director	Date you must apply
On or before 31 October 2022	By 30 November 2023
From 1 November 2022	Before appointment

If the company intends to appoint new directors, it will be important to ensure that they are aware of the requirements and timeframes to establish their director ID if they do not already have one.

Establishing your director ID

All foreign directors of Australian companies are required to apply for their director ID using the paper form (Australian resident directors can apply online).

Identification requirements

The application form will need to be accompanied by copies of one primary and one secondary form of identification that have been certified by a notary publics or by staff at the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, including consulates headed by Austrade honorary consuls.

These include:

Primary identification

· Foreign birth certificate

· Foreign passport

· Australian full birth certificate (extracts and commemorative certificates are not acceptable)

· Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years)

Secondary identification

· National photo identification card

· Foreign government identification

· Driver’s licence, as long as the licence address matches the address details on your application

· Marriage certificate, but if you use this document to verify your change of name, you can’t use it as a secondary document

If you have changed your name, you must also provide another document showing the change such as a marriage certificate, deed poll or change of name certificate.

Certifying your identification documents

In your presence, the authorised certifier must:

Certify that each copy is a true and correct copy of the original document by sighting the original document;
Stamp, sign and annotate the copy of the identity document stating, ‘I have sighted the original document and certify this to be a true and correct copy of the original document sighted’;
Initial each page listing their name, date of certification, phone number and position.

If your country is party to the Hague Apostille Convention, you can ask the competent authority in your country to certify a copy of your documents by using an apostille.

The list of Australian embassy and consulates is available here:

https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/our-embassies-and-consulates-overseas

Translations required for identity documents not in English

If your Director Identification Number (DIN) documents are not in English, they will need to be accompanied by a translation. Translations must be completed by an approved translation service and certified as a true and correct copy. Each translation should display an official stamp (or similar) that shows the certifier’s accreditation.

Once completed, the identification application form and the accompanying certified copies of your identification documents need to be sent by mail to ABRS using the details provided on the form.

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